Lubricating car-journal box



March 31, 1925. 1,531,384 C. F. GALLAGHER LUBRICATING CAR JOURNAL BOX Filed Nov. 5, '1923 Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIEI.

GHARLES FRANCIS GALLAGHER, OF MAYFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

LUBRICATING CAR-JOURNAL BOX.

Application filed November 5, 1923. Serial No. 672,852.

F oiling devices to adequately lubricate the journals on railway trucks. This results in the production of heated axles and bearings, the elfect of which has frequently been to bring about serious accidents.

The object of my invention is toprovide a lubricating car journal box which will avoid the danger incident to imperfect oiling, which will require much lesscare and attention, and which will maintain a proper lubrication of the parts to be oiled for longer periods of time without refilling. My invention is of great importance in the operation of ordinary railway trains for the reasons indicated above, but it is particularly useful, however, in the operation of trains at high speed'and with few stops.

Other objects will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood and the same consists in the novel form, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a journal box constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view thereof.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the same, and

Figure at is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the line 4-4; of

Figure 1. y

In the form of the invention illustrated, the journal box consists of a main oiling chamber 5 the inner or rear wall of which is provided with'the usual central opening as at 6 through which the end of the car journal projects into said chamber 5, the

latter being provided with the usual front inclined hinged lid as at 7. Upon one or,

more sides of the oiling chamber 5 is formed a lubricant or oil well 8, two such Wells being herein shown upon opposite sides of.

the chamber 5, and each of which is provided with a top filling opening that may be closed airtight by means of a filling plug 9.

The sides of the lubricant chamber 5 form V the inner sides of the wells 8, and have perforations or lateral openings 10 therein at a point slightly spaced above the bottom 11 of the oiling chamber 5 and communicating with the latter and with the bottoms of said wells, suitable hoods being provided upon the sides of the chamber 5 as at 12 so as to overhang the opening 10 for a purpose which will presently become apparent.

If desired, the plugs 9may be equipped with suitable handles or wrenches 13 for facilitating their removal orreplacement.

In operation, absorbent material, such as cotton waste is placed upon the bottom of the chamber 5 and at the sides thereof so as to partially surround the car journal in the usual manner, the hoods or lips 12 preventing such absorbent material from closing the opening 10, and it being understood that this waste is previously fully saturated with oil so as to practicallyseal the space directly above the openings 10 within the chamber-5 against the passage of air.

The plugs 9 are then removed, after which the wells 8 are filled with oil, and the plugs 9 then replaced, so as to prevent the entrance of air into the tops of the wells. hen this takes place, the lubricant flows by gravity through the openings 10 from the wells 8 into the bottom ofthe oiling chamher 5 until the same rises to the level in dicated in Figures 2 and 4: wherein the oil within the chamber 5 forms a seal for the opening 10 so that the lubricant may not flow to higher level. The, waste is thus maintained at all times in a relatively large body of oil maintained automatically at a constant level, which oil is conveyed by capillary attraction to the car journal in'the usual manner. Obviously, as the oil'in the preferably of triangular form in cross sec tion with downwardly converging inclined outer walls, so that delivery of all of the 0-1-1 therefrom into the oiling chan'lber in an effective manner is insured. The top walls of the oil wells 8 are also preferably outwardly and inwardly inclined so as to permit ready access to the filling openings for filling the wells 8 when the journal box is in position upon the car journal, the inclined arrangement of the top walls of the wells 8 being particularly desirable also when said top walls are below the top wall of thechamber 5 for permitting free opera tion of the ratchet 13 for removal. of the closure plugs 9.

From the above description it will be seen that as the oil is used from the bottom of the cham er 5, it is automatically replenished from the wells 8 by gravity, thereby insuring a constant unitorm lubrication of the journal for'an extended period.

Minor changes maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

VJ hat I claim as new is:

l; A lubricating car journal box including a main oiling chamber provided at one the openings in the side of the oil chamber and the bottom of the oil chamber being located below the lower ends of the oil wells, whereby the oil level in the-oiling chamber is maintained considerably lower than the oil level in the oil well, because of the vacuum created above the oil in the oil wells as said oil therein recedes to replenish the oil in the oiling chamber.

2. A lubricating car journal box including a main oiling chamber provided at one Side with an opening adapted te -receive a journal, oil wells provided upon opposite side walls ofthe oiling chamber and having downwardly and inwardly disposed outer side walls, the side walls o1 the oiling chamher being provided with openings which communicate with the lower portions of the. 011 w. lls, lips formed upon the side walls of the oiling chamber above the openings therein, disposed downwardly over said openings and extending inwardly of the oiling chamber to restrict the flow of oil and air through the openings in the side walls of the oiling chamber, said lips and the openings in the side walls of the oiling chamber being located below the "irst mentioned opening in the side of the oiling chamber, and the bottom of the oiling chamber being located below the lower ends of the oil wells, whereby the oil level in the oiling chamber is maintained considerably lowerthan the oil level in the oil well because of the vacuums created above the oil in the oil wells as said oil therein recedes to replenishthe oil in the oiling chamber.

ture.

CHARLES FRANCIS GALLAGHER.

In testimony whereof I athx my signa- 

